Hiding in Plain Sight
by Sinful Existence
Summary: Ouran Academy was known for having one of the highest Alpha populations anywhere. Hiding the fact that Haruhi was an Omega wouldn't be too hard, though. Just lay low and study her ass off. That was all that was needed, right? Except breaking a simple vase pitched her into a position where laying low just wasn't going to happen. Haruhi/Hosts. One-shot, sort of. Details inside.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! Back with another Ouran fic. I wanted to try my hand at an A/B/O Dynamics fic and someone suggested Ouran as the series to use, so I decided to roll with it. Due to the nature of A/B/O fics, though, I'm afraid on this site, it's going to have to be a one-shot. It's sort of a tease, I know, but many chapters are going to feature things that aren't allowed on this site. Furthermore, this site doesn't give me the tags I need to properly warn people for this fic, as there are a lot of questionable things in A/B/O fics that might scare some people off. As such, this will be a one-shot here, but a continued series on my AO3 account. My apologies for anyone who hates having to keep track of more than one fanfiction site and finds this inconvenient.

For scenes that were taken from the series itself, you may find I've tweaked some events, details, and dialog to suit the needs of the fic. In before "but that's not exactly how it happened!"! lol

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Omega in Beta's Clothing

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Damn rich people...

Haruhi stalked through the halls of the school, annoyance nearly coming off her in waves. There were four, four, libraries in this school, with each one being noisier than the last. Her father had gotten a new job recently and worked nights more often, leaving him home a lot during the day recently. It wasn't that Haruhi disliked her dad's company or anything, but the man could be rather distracting, his playful nature sometimes overriding his parental instincts, which she was sure would have told him that he should leave his daughter to her studying. She had to be the top of her class to retain her scholarship, after all.

So her other option was to stay after school and get some studying done there before heading home. Which brought her back around to her initial issue: every library was noisy. It's like these rich kids came to school as a social thing. They didn't seem the least bit concerned with their grades. She supposed it wasn't unusual, considering many of them were there because of money, family connections, or their places as Alphas. They weren't like her, who actually had to work for her place at this school as well as fight day-to-day to suppress her scent.

She started wandering, looking for any empty room at this point. Other than clubs and the library, she hoped that enough kids had left that there were plenty of empty rooms to choose from. She passed through the hallway that housed the art clubs, frowning as the sounds of instruments reached her ears. Nope, definitely not that. She continued on, poking her head in a few doorways and frowning in dismay when she found them taken. She finally stopped in front of Music Room Three. Unlike the other music rooms so far, she didn't hear any instruments being played at all. The door was relatively thick, but she doubted it could stop noise like that. She got curious and slipped inside, only to be assaulted with what had to be an entire garden's worth of rose petals. She blinked a few times, slowly, as her brain tried to process the sight in front of her. What on earth...

"What's this? It's a boy."

Her eyes traveled to the two boys who spoke in unison, her brows furrowing. They were... in her class, weren't they? She couldn't recall their names, but they kind of seemed attached at the hip. A boy, though... Well, she supposed she did kind of look like one right now. It wasn't her fault, though! These clothes were comfortable. Besides, less people messed with her if they thought she was a male Beta, so she just tended to not correct anyone.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't hear the small exchange between the two boys and a third one with glasses. She also missed the almost knowing smile he sent her way at whatever words were exchanged, like a light bulb had gone off in his head.

"Welcome to Ouran Host Club, Honor Student."

He had her attention, though, when he addressed her directly, his voice velvety, but with an edge of something she couldn't quite grasp. It was almost like she was being mocked, yet she didn't quite hear insincerity in his voice. Strange... This was getting weird for her now, though, seeing all their eyes trained on her. The look on the tall blonde's face, in particular, set off alarm bells in her head. She tried to make an exit, but found the door was giving her a hard time. Was it stuck? Oh god, she could feel the blond coming closer in his curiosity, "What? Then the extremely rare honor student we've heard about, Fujioka Haruhi, is you?"

At that, she couldn't help but tense up, looking over her shoulder, "Why do you know my name?"

The one with glasses spoke again with that same tone that felt polite and yet superior all at once, grating on her nerves somewhat, "It's just that our school tradition makes it difficult for commoners to get in." If she had a hundred yen for every time she'd heard the word 'commoner' thrown at her today... "I've been told that unless you possess a rather audacious nerve, you cannot become an honor student here."

Her blend of shock and irritation at the current development made her pause from her escape long enough for the blond, forgotten until this point, to throw his arm around her shoulders and proclaim her a hero. Really, a hero! For being a good student? Something that normal people who weren't prissy rich kids did on a daily basis? What was with this school, anyway?

The rest of his words were drowned out as she felt extremely off, the arm around her making her feel uneasy. It was only partially his scent, which was surprisingly Alpha. She knew that the bulk of the students at this school were Alphas or high-class Betas, but this guy was just so out there that it was hard to see him as an Alpha at all. His scent was a fact her nose couldn't deny, though. The main reason for her unease was the realization that she needed to take her suppressants again. It was scant right then and she was sure you could only smell it if you were quite close to her, but she could still smell her own scent starting to gather on her again. Her very Omega scent. She was already the "poor honor student." She didn't need "Omega" tacked on to that. It was like putting a large "Kick Me" sign on her back.

She shifted away from him uncomfortably, continually stepping away as he followed her, spouting some ridiculous nonsense that pretty much went in one ear and out the other with her. She honestly just wanted to leave and find somewhere to study and take her meds.

It seemed fate wanted to be cruel, though, and she felt a pair of arms wrap around one of hers, jerking her back with a decent amount of strength. She was surprised to find that the strong tug belongs to a small body that, frankly, made her think of a grade schooler. Was he a student here? He looked so young!

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! You're a hero? Amazing!"

Even his voice was high and cute, though she couldn't fight the unease once again at being in close proximity to someone else. She tried to pry herself free, muttering, "I'm not a hero, I'm just an honor student..." It suddenly occurred to her what name he used and she couldn't help but nearly growl out, "Who are you calling Haru-chan?"

Uh oh, probably a bad idea. Not only was it rude to just explode on someone like that, something she couldn't really help with her hormones going nuts, but she'd yelled so close to him that she'd gotten a good smell and...

This little kid was an Alpha? There was no way. The nose knows, though, and she had to concede that either she was correct, or crazy.

Considering everything happening just then, maybe she was going crazy. Her head was swimming and her body was achy. What the heck was wrong today? Maybe it had just been that long since she was at school, so she needed to get accustomed to people in her space again.

If her outburst upset anyone, no one said anything. In particular, the taller of the blonds still seemed off in his own little world, saying any little thing he damn-well pleased, "Still, to think the fabled honor student would be gay..."

He thought she was gay? Well, not that it offended her or anything. She started to feel that sense of unease again, though, when he started listing off the qualities of the hosts, asking her which one she preferred. Wait, they thought she was in here to...

She nearly facepalmed, starting to back away as the tall blond got too close for comfort, "No, you've got it wrong! I was just looking for a quiet place to study and-"

The blond seemed to not be listening to her protests, his body suddenly too close for comfort. He reached out and she couldn't help but lock up under the weight of his scent, unmoving as his hand stroked down her cheek and along her jawline to hold her chin. His voice was like warm honey as he leaned in far, far too close for her to keep a clear head, "Or maybe... you'd like to try me? How about it?"

She had been found out. There was no other explanation. It was that, or that he simply was the type to seduce anyone like this. He had seemed like kind of an airhead, so she supposed it wasn't entirely unlikely that he was still oblivious and just treating her like any other guest. But he had some sort of magical obliviousness, then, because there was no way that a normal Alpha wouldn't have caught her scent at this proximity.

She wasn't sure what made her more uneasy; his proximity or the fact that an instinctive part of her brain liked it. Wanted to submit to it. She had to refrain from biting her lip, hoping his obliviousness extended to him not noticing how her pupils were a bit more dilated than previously.

She felt a finger rub under her chin, far too close to one of her scent glands for comfort, and she let out a yell as she jerked backward away from him in surprise. She bumped into something hard, the lower part of it digging into her lower back, but the top of it giving way. Giving way? Oh crap...

She turned around as quickly as she could, her eyes homing in on a vase. A vase that was once on the pedestal she had just crashed into and was well on its way to the floor. She flung herself over the pedestal and reached for it, her fingers unable to find purchase around the handle as it continued its descent and gave an ear-splitting shatter as it broke into pieces before her eyes.

The twins seemed to no longer be content with just watching the almost humorous exchange between their club's King and the honor student, especially when she'd knocked the vase over. The two leaned over her on either side, only one of them speaking this time, "Ahhh~ The Renaissance vase that was to be featured in the school auction!" The other twin added insult to injury, "Now you've done it~! We were going to start the bidding at eight million yen for that!"

Eight... E-Eight million... "Eight million yen!?" The twins backed off a bit from her. She looked ready to cry. She felt ready to cry. This wasn't happening. This definitely wasn't happening to her. She tried to figure out how many thousands of yen that was. How many months of allowance it would take. She knew it was hopeless. There was no way her father even made enough for her to cover something like that. What could she do, though? She turned to look at them, hoping she wouldn't be thrown in jail or something, "Um... can I pay you back?"

The twins shrugged and gave each other looks that bordered between exasperated and amused, "Could you even?" They started to go on about her lack of uniform and the outfit she was wearing, words that mingled together as annoyance overtook her. It left her just as quickly, though.

As annoyed as she should've been at that stab to her "poor" status, she couldn't deny their claims. She knew she couldn't pay this back.

The boy with the glasses seemed to have snuck up on her while she was watching the twins tease her, picking up a piece of the vase and addressing the tall blond that had basically seduced her into a corner, so to speak, "What will we do, Tamaki?" He sounded more amused than angry and Haruhi felt a strong sense of foreboding.

The boy in question, Tamaki, sat in on of the chairs and pointed at her dramatically, "Have you ever heard this saying, Fujioka? 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'!" She wanted to facepalm. What was with this over-dramatic nonsense? She was feeling fear and guilt about the vase, but it was hard to keep feeling as such when their apparent leader seemed like such an idiot.

That was her thought process, until he voice dropped a bit and his eyes snapped to hers. Even with her glasses somewhat obscuring her eyes from others', his gaze held her like a snake, about as hypnotic as the low, dark voice he used to speak next, "If you have no money, then you will pay with your body." She felt an unconscious shiver run up the length of her body, her mind jumping to conclusions regarding his meaning. The smile on his face borderlined on a smirk and she couldn't help feeling again that maybe he wasn't nearly as much of an idiot as he let on.

The darker personality that practically screamed Alpha was gone in the next second and he really did grin this time, "Starting today, you're the Host Club's dog!"

...what?

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Haruhi ended up sending a text to her father, telling him she wasn't going to be home for a while. To be honest, she wished she could go home right then. Anything than being subjected to basically being a servant to the Host Club. She readjusted the paper bag in her arm as she put her phone away in her pocket, sighing lightly. She wanted to complain, to reject them even, but she knew she was in hot water. She did break that vase. A very expensive vase, in fact. She supposed that this was the least she could do for them. She was so sore all over, though, and felt a bit warm. She couldn't help but want to go home.

The stress of earlier had addled her brain a bit, but as she walked back into the club room, the issue of her scent became quite real. She put the bag down for a moment and went to her school bag, digging around for her meds and a bottle of water. She found the water, but her meds seemed to be missing. No... no no no... She then remembered distinctly that, while she'd put her meds on the kitchen counter earlier while making her lunch, she never actually stuck the meds in her bag in her haste to get to school.

This wasn't good. Not at all. She needed her suppressants badly. She considered leaving to go get some when she heard Kyouya's voice as he wrote on a clipboard, pointing with his pen without looking up at her, "Bring those to Tamaki."

Crap! She couldn't just explain the situation to Kyouya. She considered asking if she could be excused to the nurse's office, but it was late enough that there was probably no one in there.

With a lump securely in her throat, she picked up the paper bag again and brought it to Tamaki, barely hearing the words "speak of the devil" as she approached. Was she being talked about? That wasn't exactly comforting. Tamaki waved at her, a pleasant smile on his face, even if his eyes felt teasing, "Thanks for shopping for us, little piglet." First a dog, now a piglet? She had half a mind to dump the contents of the bag on his head.

She learned very quickly that what she was used to buying was going to put her at odds with the Host Club at times. Tamaki took the instant coffee she'd gotten out of the bag and started a huge event out of it, making a big fuss about something so small. She couldn't help but regard him incredulously as he pranced around, dramatically posing and talking of trying the coffee like he was about to go bungee jumping. She didn't miss the glare one of the girls gave her as she was ushered forth by Tamaki to make the coffee for all of them.

The other thing she learned is that girls were crazy. Well, at least the girls at this school. She wasn't sure if this sort of thing was normal. Maybe Haruhi was the weird one? Either way, she couldn't understand the draw the hosts seemed to give off that left the girls as nothing but squealing fangirls. Tamaki seemed to somehow be able to flirt his way into any girl's heart, the girls found the Hitachiins' incest routine to be thrilling, and when Mori and Honey came back in after Honey's nap, the girls were squealing with joy at how 'cute' he was. Their cute, sleepy senpai.

She couldn't help but mutter out, "Is that boy really a third year?"

Kyouya came up beside her, his eyes on the hosts as they worked, "Honey-senpai is a prodigy, despite his appearance. And Mori-senpai's draw is his silent disposition."

Haruhi let out a noise of acknowledgment but still had a hard time really being able to relate to such a thing.

Her eyes briefly traveled to the two hosts in question. Morinozuka Takashi, nickname Mori. He was an Alpha and a third year, two facts that didn't really surprise her. She wasn't sure what to think of him, as he hadn't really interacted with her all that much since she'd intruded into the Host Club's room before their starting hours.

Haninozuka Mitsukuni, nickname Honey. She'd already learned from his smell that he was an Alpha, despite everything in her brain that looked at him and denied the fact. It was true that he was rather cute, even if she wasn't prone to turning into a squealing mess like his fangirls. Especially since she was trying to get people to think she was a guy. She didn't need to go reacting to every little cute thing she saw, even if she wanted to.

Her eyes moved to the twins next. Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru. She initially wasn't sure which was which, but as she observed them, she found their differences to be glaringly obvious. It didn't help that when she got close to them, she could smell the difference. It seemed that for their twin act, they both took suppressants so that their clients couldn't tell them apart, but unlike their Beta clients, her Omega nose was a bit more keen and able to pick up the very slight scents that were them. They were almost non-existent, just enough to identify which was which. Because of the suppressants, she wasn't able to tell their role, though, and had to be told by Kyouya that Hikaru was an Alpha while Kaoru was a Beta. Though, he said, they often pretended he was an Omega for their clients to help with their act.

She glanced up at the club's vice president, who was jotting down a few things on his clipboard. Ootori Kyouya. He was a second year and an Alpha, though like Mori, his scent felt a bit more subdued than she expected. Despite Tamaki's place as the club president, it seemed to her that Kyouya was really the one doing everything. Though, she supposed, he did often ask Tamaki about their course of action, so she supposed Tamaki wasn't entirely without power in the club. There was a strange sort of electricity between the two of them, though. In the few times she'd watched them pass each other, she could swear their scents got stronger for a moment. She wondered if, underneath everything, there was still that Alpha vs. Alpha competitive nature in there. She was grateful, then, that they seemed to have some sort of understanding about their power dynamics with each other. The last thing she wanted to see is two Alphas fighting for dominance. She'd seen it a few times and it was never a pleasant experience.

A cry of "Haaaaruuuu-chaaan!" was her only warning before Honey was suddenly latched onto her arm, a move that spun her a little before she could regain her footing. He smiled up at her cutely, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, "Haru-chan, want to eat some cake with us?" She looked down at him and gave him a sheepish smile, "No thanks, I don't really care for sweets." Well, that wasn't entirely true. There were some sweet things she liked. But she'd seen the cake they were eating over there and it looked a little too sweet for her tastes. She also didn't think it was appropriate for her to be sitting with the hosts when she was basically their slave. She doubted Kyouya would appreciate that.

Then there was the fact that she felt her scent getting stronger around her and didn't want to place herself in the middle of a group of people.

Honey smiled despite the disappointment, his arms clasped around something behind his back, "Well, I'll let you borrow Usa-chan then!"

Haruhi gave a guilty smile, "Ah, no, Usa-chan's also a bit..."

Honey's face fell at that and he held the bunny in front of him, "You don't like my Usa-chan?"

It was the first time she'd seen Usa-chan up close. She wanted to bit her lip, to hold back her reaction, but she couldn't help leaning in closer, a blush growing on her face as she leaned in close to look at it, "I-it is cute, huh?"

She was so distracted by Usa-chan's cuteness that she missed the way Honey's nose twitched or the way his pupils flared out a bit as she leaned in close to him. Honey and Kyouya exchanged a quick glance and Honey was able to gather himself enough to deposit Usa-chan in Haruhi's arms before dancing off to his clients, calling behind him, "Take good care of it, okay~?"

She blinked at his sudden departure, looking down a Usa-chan even as she heard Kyouya's voice, continuing as if he'd never been interrupted, "Our club's policy is to utilize everyone's individual characteristics, to respond to the needs of our guests."

She watched his eyes move to where Tamaki was and her eyes followed suit as Kyouya continued speaking to her, "By the way, around here, Tamaki is number one, the King. His request rate is seventy percent."

Haruhi muttered, "What is the world coming to?"

Her eyes stayed on Tamaki a bit longer, wondering what was so good about the selectively-idiotic idiot. He was a second year, like Kyouya, and an Alpha from what she'd already smelled. She'd almost call it surprising, if she hadn't been on the receiving end of his pheromones a few times now. He wasn't particularly aggressive it seemed, which was a relief for her, but he also didn't know the meaning of personal space.

She was broken from her thoughts as Kyouya looked down at her directly now, something between a smile and a grin on his face, "By the way, with that eight million yen debt, you are this club's dog-" he gave a gentle smile, his 'host smile', "Pardon, errand boy, until you graduate." She let out a bit of a whine in her throat at that, having had a feeling that would be the case but still depressed to hear it.

"By the way, you're free to run if you'd like, but my family employs a private police force of roughly one hundred." She felt a bit of dread at this words, as well as the next ones, "Do you have a passport?" It took a moment for her to process what he meant. His family had full jurisdiction in Japan and without a passport, she wasn't leaving any time soon. That feeling of dread threatened to flatten her to the floor.

She was caught up in the implications of his statements when Tamaki snuck up behind her, voicing his agreement, "Yeah, be sure to work hard, Dasaoka-kun~" Really? What a horribly butchering of her family name. 'Dasa' for 'uncool', huh...? The thought barely crossed her mind when she felt a warm breath, along with a sharp Alpha scent, ghost over her ear and past her nose. She jumped forward out of his reach a bit, her body feeling for a moment like it was on fire. What on earth was with the hyper sensitivity now? She glared at him over her shoulder, "Please don't do that!"

Tamaki stood up straight and chose, once again, to conveniently ignore her words and go at his own pace, "You're not going to get any girls as disheveled as you look." Girls? Oh right. Ugh... Tamaki was impossible, truly.

She kept Usa-chan close to her chest and sighed in exasperation, "I'm not interested in getting any girls in the first place."

Tamaki looked at her as if unable to process her words, then proceeded to pull a rose seemingly out of nowhere as he babbled about how their duty was to be fine men and please the ladies. She had to refrain from rolling her eyes, cutting into his ramblings, "All that doesn't matter though, does it? Men, women, appearances, and such? What's important as a person is what's on the inside, right? I can't understand why this kind of club even exists."

"It's such a cruel thing, isn't it?"

She wondered if he meant her words were cruel, then nearly bolted for the door as she swore he nearly had roses floating around him as he went into another rant, having assumed that her speech was a way to cover up her despair at being unattractive rather than the honest statement that it was. She could only look on, wondering how much her debt would increase if she were to try punching him and if it was worth it. Then again, punching a strange Alpha she barely knew was probably not high on the 'good things to do' list.

Ugh, there was a word for people like this. Even as his lecture went on to try to teach her weird things like putting a glass down gently, her mind wandered to exactly what word it was she was looking for. Pain in the ass? No, there's a more succinct way of putting it... Oh, I got it! She dropped her fist against her palm as the word came to mind, blurting as Tamaki leaned down close to her, "Obnoxious."

The next moment, he was away from her, sitting with his arms hugging his legs and looking for all the world like someone had kicked his puppy. She could barely do more than stare in shock. Was this guy for real? "Um... Tamaki-senpai?"

The twins came up at that point, laughing and calling her a hero. She wasn't sure what was heroic about making her senpai feel bad, even if he had been obnoxious like she'd said.

"I'm sorry. It really did strike a small chord with me," she apologized guiltily...

...then immediately wished she hadn't.

Tamaki was back up on his feet again, in full roses mode. She muttered in regret, "He gets over things quickly."

Tamaki was ready to teach her more, but thankfully (or not), the twins decided to butt in and insist that before he did any of that, he should consider Haruhi's looks. After all, they hadn't even seen what she looks like with her glasses off.

She wasn't sure why she didn't try to back off or stop them. Based on the conversation, she could tell exactly what Hikaru was about to do as he moved in front of her, his hands coming up to slowly pull her glasses off her face, "Now, with someone of his type, even if you take off his glasses, his eyes just look that much smaller-" He was brought up short as he looked into her eyes, his twin following suit as the two just stared at her. Wide, beautiful eyes. Almost like a girl's. Brown but not at all bland like you'd think of such a common eye color. No, they were warm and full and the twins had a difficult time pulling their eyes away.

Haruhi became uncomfortable with the staring, which didn't ease up even after she tried to plead for her glasses back, explaining that she'd lost her contacts the day of the Welcome Ceremony. It wasn't until Tamaki forced himself between them that the twins moved at all. Tamaki, along with the rest of the hosts, looked at Haruhi's face for a moment. Then there was a flurry of action. Tamaki was sending orders left and right for things like clothes and contacts and things that honestly were making her want to sink into the floor. What were they going to do to her?

With another order from Tamaki, the twins pried Usa-chan from her and gave him back to Honey, dragging Haruhi off to the dressing room. She looked nervous now as the twins approached her, a uniform clutched between them as they spoke in unison, "Here, put this on." She could only stare in shock, "What? Why?" They looked much like two cats ready to pounce, their looks almost predatory, "Don't ask questions!" The next thing she knew, they had her pinned to the wall and were attempting to pull her sweater off over her head. She kicked out and managed to catch Kaoru in the leg, knocking the twin over so his no longer had a grip on her right arm. She jerked from Hikaru's grasp and tried to run, but the older twin grabbed her around the middle and pulled her back in, her back slamming into his chest and knocking him back a bit so he was leaning slumped against the wall a bit with her in his arms.

It was a position that put his face against her neck, unable to help but breath her in. Her shock at being pulled back made her leap forward in alarm, making her miss how Hikaru's body had gone rigid in shock and arousal. Kaoru jumped up and grabbed the fleeing Haruhi out of instinct, but his full attention was on his brother, looking at him questioningly. His brother was leaning against the wall, his jaw hanging loosely as he panted lightly, his eyes entirely too dilated for comfort. Kaoru's eyes lit up in understanding and moved to the struggling girl in his arms. God, even he could smell her now. It wasn't going to affect him like Hikaru, though, at least. Hikaru... yeah, this was a dangerous situation. Kaoru needed to get him out of there and quickly. He was a relatively new Alpha, having only just Presented a few months before they came to Ouran. There was no way he was going to be able to deal with the scent of an Omega, especially one that smelled as wonderful as Haruhi did. Even though he wasn't an Alpha, Kaoru's mouth was nearly watering at the scent.

It seemed it wasn't up to him anymore, though. Haruhi had had enough at this point and snatched the uniform away only to grab each of them by the collar and forcefully throw them out through the curtain, "Alright, I'll change, but you two have to get out!" The two twins skidded to a halt about a dozen feet from the dressing room and Kaoru had to grab his twin's arm to keep the Alpha from rushing right back in and forcing himself on Haruhi. Hikaru looked at his twin to see Kaoru shaking his head, rubbing his arm lightly in an attempt to calm him.

Well, this was a right mess. Kaoru dragged Hikaru away to give Haruhi some privacy and get the others. There was something he needed to address with Kyouya anyway.

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Five minutes later, the hosts had all moved into the dressing area, waiting outside the curtains for Haruhi. Honey was snacking on his cake as usual, Kaoru keeping his arm around his brother's shoulders as his brother did the same, hoping to keep him calm. Hikaru felt a bit calmer now, at least, since he'd been able to walk away and get some breaths of fresh, Haruhi-less air for a few minutes. Still, he could almost smell her through the curtain and it made him have to hold back a growl.

The curtain finally opened and Haruhi peeked out, "Um, senpai? Are you sure I can keep this uniform?"

Tamaki made a big fuss about how cute she was, how she was almost like a girl. Several hosts had to bite their tongues on that one. Except for Honey's exclamation of, "Haru-chan, how cute!" Soon all the hosts were commenting on her appearance, like how she should have said sooner that she looked like this, or how her current looks might draw in customers. Tamaki tried to act like he knew all along, but no one was fooled at all.

Her attention was grabbed when he decided, "Starting today, you are an official member of the Host Club! I will train you to be a first rate host. If you can get one hundred customers to request you, we will forgive your eight million yen debt."

All she could manage to think was A host? They wanted her to charm girls? Somewhere between her aches in her body and the almost fevered temperature to her body, she wasn't sure she could handle this today. But she doubted they had her dress up today just for the hell of it. Good grief...

They all came back to the Host Club, apologizing to the guests for running out so suddenly and introducing "Haruhi-kun" as a new host. A few of their guests were instantly curious about Haruhi and came to her table to chat with her. She felt nervous as hell. How was she supposed to do this? As they asked her rapid questions about herself, but she simply didn't know how to answer. Should she try to be suave like Tamaki? Or maybe quiet and calm like Mori? She didn't have a twin, so that idea was out. Kyouya said they all played off their strengths anyway. Not only did she doubt any of those things were her strength, but doing the same thing as another host was redundant.

"Haruhi-kun, why did you join this club?"

The question, from all three of her guests, brought her up short in a new way. Right... she was paying off a debt. This wasn't the time to panic. She needed to make these girls happy, to make them want to come back and talk to her again. She decided to just be herself and talk to them about whatever came naturally. She didn't want to talk about her debt, instead steering the conversation to why she was attending Ouran, explaining her mother's death as well as how her mother was a wonderful lawyer and how she wanted to be a lawyer just like her. She talked about the fact that she does all the chores and cooking around the house, since her father is less capable. Everyone seemed rather entranced by her story, including Tamaki, who was pretty much ignoring his guests to listen in on the conversation. Even Kyouya and the twins were listening in, surprised at how naturally she seemed to pour herself out for the girls and how much they drank it up. A natural host, they called her. Tamaki looked rather depressed at the idea of having nothing to teach her, a small pout on his face.

"Tamaki-sama." Tamaki jolted at the soft but somewhat scolding voice, sliding back into his seat properly and apologizing to Ayanokouji, smiling his most charming smile, "I'm just a little concerned about my boy."

She looked to him sideways, her voice civil but some underlying emotion just under the surface, "You seem to be keeping your eye on that one quite a bit."

He seemed to miss what it was because he was soon calling Haruhi over, prompting her to greet Ayanokouji. Haruhi recognized her as the girl earlier with the glare and some snide comments about the possibility of the instant coffee making Tamaki sick, but gave her a warm smile anyway, not wanting to be rude, "It's a pleasure to meet you." The greeting had the unfortunate side effect of Tamaki taking her in his arms and spinning her around, praising her on how cute her greeting was. She was shoved into his chest and her breath hitched at the scent that enveloped her. It was so hard to move, why did he have to have such a thick scent like that? He could at least take some suppressants! Or maybe that was part of his draw for the girls. She supposed an Alpha's smell might be reassuring to some. Maybe they liked the underlying dominance from the otherwise gentlemanly Tamaki. Either way, she felt like if she didn't escape soon, she might not have the will to escape him. She looked out amid Tamaki's crazy movements and tried to find whoever was closest to her at the moment. Her eyes caught Mori with Honey and their guests and she let out a whimper, her arms reaching out, "Mori-senpai, help me!"

Her eyes locked with his and for a moment he felt like he was pinned in place. The next second, his body was moving on its own, as if saving Haruhi from what was happening was the single most important thing in the world right then. He reached down and plucked Haruhi out of Tamaki's grasp, holding her aloft. His eyes widened fractionally as two things hit him. The first was the feeling of breasts pressed against his wrists as he held her under her arms. Those were definitely breasts, he was sure of it. The second was the scent. It felt as if something had slammed into his face, nearly sending him reeling. He'd smelled Omegas now and again, but nothing of this magnitude. It was a testament to his self control and his age that he was able to resist any sort of outward response to her.

He heard words come from Tamaki's mouth, but found it hard to hear what was actually said. It took him a second longer to realize he was still holding Haruhi aloft and that everyone was staring. He put her down with a quiet, gruff apology as Tamaki tried to tell her to come back to "Daddy". She stared at him incredulously, claiming she didn't need two fathers. Everyone involved missed the dark look on Ayanokouji's face or the angry way her pupils contracted.

While everyone's back was turned, she sought out Haruhi's bag and tossed it out the window when she was sure no one was watching.

Haruhi crossed her path as she was walking to get some fresh air from everyone, stiffening as Ayanokouji's words reached her ears, "How nice for you, to have Tamaki-sama tidy you up. While you're at it, why don't you correct your poor upbringing?" Haruhi said nothing as the two passed each other completely, feeling a twisting in her gut. Seemed there was bullying at this school after all. She continued to another area of the music room, where she kept her bag, but noticed it was gone. She saw the window cracked there and went to it only to see her bag had been opened and then thrown into the fountain below.

The bullying thing wasn't an understatement, it seemed. She had no doubt that Ayanokouji did it, but rather than call her out, she slipped out of the club room to go collect her things. She didn't noticed Tamaki's eyes following her.

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Haruhi sighed as she kicked off her shoes, rolling up her sleeves and her pant legs before going into the fountain. One by one she pulled out her things, though some of them were difficult to see under the moving water and the lily pads littering the surface. She especially found it unnerving that she couldn't find her wallet. As much as it sucked to have her suppressants wearing off, she was glad that her meds weren't in her bag. No one seemed to be around to see her, but if they had and her meds were in the open, it would have been difficult. Suppressants she could explain away, as many people took those, regardless of role. Things like her hormone meds, however, would be harder to explain without giving herself away.

Right then though, her pressing concern was her wallet. She really didn't have the money to be losing a week's worth of lunch money in the fountain.

She heard footsteps behind her and froze, only to hear Tamaki's voice, half playful and half scolding, "Hey, commoner. You've got some nerve, skipping out on your club activities." His eyes moved to the clutter by his feet, the words leaving his mouth even though he could deduce the answer from just looking at the situation, "Why is your bag all wet?"

"I just dropped it," she said without even looking up at him, continuing to search for her wallet, "I can't find my food money for this week."

Tamaki eyed her a bit in surprise. He, of course, didn't believe that excuse for an instant, but it was surprising that she'd tell him that instead of admitting that someone tried to bully her. Protecting someone that hurt you seemed a bit backward.

She nearly jumped when she heard splashing and looked up to see Tamaki with his pants and sleeves rolled up, treading water with her. She felt a sharp pang of guilt hit her and frowned, "It's fine. You're going to get yourself all wet."

Tamaki just kept looking for her wallet with her, not looking up, "Getting wet isn't going to do any harm, is it? People always say that I'm dripping with good looks, after all."

Haruhi could only stare at him in shock. Why was he helping her like this? She realized that maybe a part of her felt that the hosts resented her for breaking the vase. That she was nothing but a debt to them. But, here was Tamaki, ankle-deep in the fountain with her, fishing out her wallet with a victorious grin, "Could this be what you were looking for?" He winked at her, then noticed her expression. He walked closer, seeing as she wasn't going to move, and leaned down to eye level with her, waving her wallet in front of her face playfully, "What's the matter? You're spacing out. You haven't fallen for me, have you?"

That snapped her out of her trance and she gave a bit of a blush, snatching the wallet away and looking away from him, "Who, me?"

She looked back to him, bracing herself for more idiotic flirting, only to have a lump lodge in her throat at the serious expression on his face, "Still, how does something like this happen?"

She felt a bit nervous. She'd already told him she dropped her bag, even if that wasn't the case. Maybe he was more perceptive than she gave him credit for? That wasn't good. She blushed and looked down, trying to avoid his eyes, which were almost piercing into her in an attempt to draw the truth from her, "Well..." She flinched when she felt a hand on her chin, tipping her head up gently but firmly to make her look at him. She swallowed thickly as his pheromones nearly smothered her, trying to get him to obey him as an Alpha and tell him what he wanted to know. Her body ached even more sharply than before and she felt utterly dizzy, unable to form a coherent sentence. Why was it so hot today? She tried to shake it off and pulled sharply from his grip, grabbing her bag and making a mad dash for the club room.

Tamaki watched her go, his eyes narrowing slightly at being disobeyed but leaving it alone. She wasn't his, it wasn't like she was required to answer him. But the fact that she'd rather protect a bully than trust him frustrated him a little. His eyes tracked upward to some movement, catching Ayanokouji moving away from the window. Had she been watching? His eyes narrowed further before he went back inside.

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Haruhi put her bag down on one of the tables then froze as she saw Ayanokouji sitting at her table rather than the three girls who had been with her earlier. At her shocked face, Kyouya came up to her, jerking his chin in Ayanokouji's direction, "You were requested."

Requested? By her? She wasn't sure why, but it couldn't be anything good, surely. She put on her most pleasant face and sat down with the girl, smiling warmly, "Hello Princess Ayanokouji."

Ayanokouji took a slow sip of her tea before giving Haruhi a smile that sent shivers down her spine. She could tell by her scent that the girl wasn't an Alpha, but she still had a domineering, aggressive air about her. She lowered her tea cup and instead of answering Haruhi, she posed a question of her own, "Why is your bag soaking wet?"

Haruhi knew that Ayanokouji knew. Ayanokouji knew that Haruhi knew that she knew. She read between the lines. Ayanokouji was asking what her story was. What she had told Tamaki.

Haruhi shrugged and took a sip of her own tea, "I accidentally dropped my bag out the window."

Ayanokouji smiled behind her tea cup, "I see. That must have been terrible, huh? Having your bag fall into the pond all on its own..." The smile never left her face, even as her words turned decidedly less pleasant, "Although, to make Tamaki-sama go to all the trouble of picking up your grimy bag for you... You really don't know your own place, do you?"

Haruhi watched Ayanokouji passively, at least on the outside. On the inside, it stung a bit to hear these words. But more than that, she was trying hard to sit upright, to not fall victim to whatever sickness had seen fit to plant itself in her body today. It was a chore just to keep her vision from doubling.

Ayanokouji, oblivious to her inner distress, continued, "Tamaki-sama is only paying you any attention because your upbringing is so unusual. Don't go getting any ideas as to why he's doting on you."

Despite the fog in her mind, she could clearly see what the problem was. Before she could help herself, though, the words came pouring out of her mouth, "So what you mean is, you're jealous."

Haruhi caught Ayanokouji's pupils contracting into fine points just before she was suddenly grabbed around the wrist and pulled. She was already dizzy and was unable to fight it as the other girl pull Haruhi into the table, knocking it over as she fell on top of Ayanokouji. The older girl screamed, feigning fear on her face, "Haruhi-kun... Haruhi-kun suddenly attacked me! Somebody, quick! Deal with this commoner!"

The twins were there in an instant and Haruhi gasped as a torrent of cold water was poured over Ayanokouji's and her head.

Haruhi sat up in a daze, Ayanokouji following suit and pushing herself up into a more upright position as she looked at the twins in shock, "What are you doing?"

Tamaki was by Ayanokouji's side the next moment, helping her gingerly to her feet. Missing the look on Tamaki's face, Ayanokouji pleaded with him, "Tamaki-sama, Haruhi-kun assaulted me."

Haruhi wanted to cry out. To yell that it wasn't her. But it was a chore just to sit there and not fall over. She wondered what would become of her. Despite his help earlier, she couldn't help that nagging feeling again. That she was just a bother to them all. Just a debt. Surely they would take a regular's word over her own. Surely she wouldn't be trusted even if she were to tell them she didn't do it. They'd found her on top of Ayanokouji, after all, regardless of how it happened.

"How disgraceful."

Haruhi stiffened at Tamaki's low, velvety words, her stomach twisting in uncomfortable knots. It was the voice of an Alpha. A rather angry one, at that. It was obviously not a voice he used often in the Host Club, as many of the clients couldn't help but look a bit wary of this foreign Tamaki. Haruhi tensed, waiting for her judgment to be dealt, only to be utterly shocked at the next words out of his mouth, "You're the one who threw Haruhi's bag in the pond, aren't you?"

She felt the tense ball of nerves in her stomach unravel all at once, leaving a feeling of warmth spreading through her. He somehow knew. She hadn't wanted to call Ayanokouji out on her behavior, but Tamaki had pieced it together and now Ayanokouji was looking at him with a expression of hurt and betrayal, "How can you say that? Do you have any proof?"

She was silenced as Tamaki cupped the side of her face in his hand. But it wasn't like the soft caress he'd given Haruhi earlier. This one was commanding. He was demanding her attention, her obedience. And despite all of her threats and throwing her weight around, in the face of an Alpha asserting his dominance, she had no choice but to be silent and obey. His voice was like silk, but everyone in the room could hear the darker undertones. His hair obscured his eyes to everyone but Ayanokouji, who could see that his pupils were contracted to little pinpricks, swallowed in an ocean of deep violet, "You really are quite pretty, but you are not fit to be our guest." You are not fit to be in my presence. Begone. He didn't say it, but she could practically feel it coming off him in waves. More than sad or angry, she was scared. He hadn't used any violence or threatened her in any way, but she knew she was powerless to do anything against him.

He released her face and narrowed his eyes at her, his voice a bit lighter but still angered, "I know this much... Haruhi isn't that kind of guy."

She felt her teeth grind together, despite her instincts yelling at her to not show any signs of outward anger toward an Alpha like this. Of course it was about Haruhi again. She realized now that Tamaki was serious about protecting Haruhi. She could see that now and as much as she wanted to hurt Haruhi, she knew that whatever she did now would come back to her in the form of an enraged Tamaki.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, glaring at him, "Tamaki-sama... you idiot!" She pushed past him and ran out of the club room.

The room grew rather quiet for a moment, then Tamaki turned to Haruhi, his voice light even if there was still a bit of frustration in his eyes from before, "I'm going to decide your punishment for causing this trouble."

Causing this trouble? Haruhi wanted to protest, but her throat felt constricted and her head was fuzzier than before. Her head felt a bit more clear when she processed what he'd said next. Wait... one thousand? Her quota was increased to one thousand customers? She wanted to die right there.

He then reached a hand down for her and helped her up, winking, "We're expecting a lot from you, natural rookie."

Kyouya came up after a moment with a bag, handing it to Haruhi, "This is the last spare uniform we have. It's still better than a wet one though, right?"

She thanked him, looking down at the bag in question, "But... isn't club time over now? Can't I just wear my clothes home that I came to school in."

The twins shook their heads, talking in unison, "No good, we threw them away."

She felt her eye twitch, "You what? Those were my clothes!" She winced as her own voice caused her head to throb.

The twins didn't look very sorry at all. Kyouya sighed and adjusted his glasses, "It's just so you have something to wear on the way home. Your uniform should be dry before tomorrow, yes?"

She supposed that was true. Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that she was about to be pretending to be a guy cross-dressing, heading for the dressing rooms.

Once inside and alone, she sat on one of the seats and slumped over, nearly panting. Her body was aching like crazy and her body was intensely hot. She whimpered and clenched her legs shut when she realized she was uncomfortably wet, her body shaking a bit. She tried to force her mind to focus as she managed to somehow remove some of her wet uniform, going through the days in her head. Today was April 8th... so...

Oh no.

She'd been so stressed. About school, about her grades. If she'd be able to make it through at the top of her class to keep her scholarship. If her dad would be okay at his new job. So many thoughts running through her head that she'd hadn't even thought. Hadn't considered.

"Haruhi, here... some towels." She heard the curtain opening before she could so much as open her mouth to stop Tamaki from coming in, turning to face him in nothing but her panties and an undershirt that did nothing to hide her modest but still obvious breasts. He was just about as shocked as she was that he hadn't noticed her scent before now, because with her clothes gone to keep the scent in, it hit him like a wave in the face.

She opened her mouth to tell him to get the hell out, but before she could try to get the sounds to form he had her back to the mirror behind her, nearly cracking it with the force he pinned her with. He was panting harshly and couldn't help but bury his nose right in against the crook of her neck, running his nose up along the side of her neck a bit and then inhaling sharply against her scent glands. She gave a violent shudder at the contact, a small whine rising in her throat. She fought savagely between the part of her that was able to reason and called for her to throw him off and the Omega instincts that felt and smelled an Alpha, heard him growling possessively against her neck, and wanted him to mate her right then, to ease the ache of her heat. She was scared. She was a virgin, not having been with anyone, much less an Alpha. She couldn't tell if the whines from her throat were from fear or from arousal as he licked at her neck, his teeth grazing a bit over the crook of her neck, right where someone might mark her...

She struggled against him a little and he growled low in response, his scent thickening around her and making her want to shrink against him and obey. One of his hands kept a firm grip on her hip, while the other ran up under her shirt, his fingertips ghosting up her stomach and then down her side. He wanted to feel her skin, to keep immersing himself in her scent. He wanted to throw her down on the floor and fuck her right then, consequences be damned. Never in his life had he smelled an Omega like her, especially in heat. He was usually good at keeping his self-control, almost as good as Mori, but this girl was pulling him apart at the seams just by existing.

He felt her shaking under him and had to fight hard against the instinct to claim her. No, she was scared. He was scaring her. He couldn't. He-

He let out a groan and buried his face in her neck one last time, inhaling her scent deeply so he could remember it later, then loosened his grip on her slightly, his voice a tight, raw whisper, "I'm sorry, Haruhi... I..."

He didn't get to finish whatever he was saying, as he was suddenly grabbed from behind by Mori. Tamaki growled low in his throat, instinct demanding he defend his claim, but he forced the response down. He didn't want to hurt Mori. Mori was doing the right thing. He needed to be removed from the room immediately.

Haruhi sank to the floor, her jaw loose as she panted deeply, still stunned from the encounter. A part of her nearly whined at the loss of contact, but the part of her brain that still wanted to reason was glad to be rid of the distraction. Her eyes were the only things that moved for the moment, taking in the situation. Mori was pulling away a Tamaki who looked less overtaken by lust now and more overtaken by guilt. A decent distance away from the dressing room were the twins, Kaoru holding Hikaru back. Hikaru had wanted to help, but Kaoru knew that it would only let things worse if he let his brother in there after Tamaki when they got there. With the curtain open and her scent wafting out, he felt his brother tense and pull against his grip, having to tighten his hold to keep him there.

Then she saw Kyouya, who was the closest to her, but was still standing at the curtain, looking like he was in physical pain with the effort to just stand there as close as he was. He had sent Mori in because, frankly, he wasn't one hundred percent sure he could control himself and an Ootori losing control of himself was unacceptable.

Honey, on the other hand, looked unaffected but concerned for Haruhi. He was standing a little behind Kyouya, afraid to come closer and scare Haruhi, "Haru-chan, are you okay...?"

Before she could answer, Kyouya barked out tensely, "Kaoru, take Haruhi to the clinic immediately. There should be an emergency nurse still. Honey-senpai, please walk behind them and make sure no other Alphas try to stop them."

Honey looked uneasy but nodded, backing up a bit so he wouldn't have to breath Haruhi's scent as much when she passed. Kyouya noted the movement and did the same.

Haruhi, on the other hand, looked terrified. Kaoru was a Beta, but it was still a risk to have a Beta around an Omega in heat. Hikaru wanted to protest as Kaoru moved toward the dressing room without him, but a glare from his brother silenced him. Hikaru knew he was a danger to Haruhi, of course, but it still wasn't a pleasant thing.

Kaoru snuck slowly into the dressing room, moving in a way he hoped seemed to completely lack aggression as he approached Haruhi, "Haruhi, let's go to the nurse, okay?"

Haruhi tensed in response and skittered back from him, her breathing ragged as she stared at him with eyes that might as well have been black for how much her pupils had consumed her irises. Shit, this was going to be difficult. He knew how much panic she was feeling right then. It was what separated a human's heat from an animals. She still had her reason. She wasn't mindless in her pursuit of a mate. There was a part of her inside that was absolutely terrified at what her body wanted to do. He could only think of one way to deal with this and he didn't really want to do it. There wasn't much of a choice though. It wasn't as if the hosts didn't already know. Kyouya had already sent the guests home, so it was just the hosts and Haruhi.

Kaoru sighed and moved in slowly, backing Haruhi into a corner. He ignored the high pitched growl that ripped from her throat, knowing that if she was really this threatened by him, she would ultimately be too scared to fight him, since she thought he was a higher role.

He put a hand on one of her shoulders to keep her in place, his free hand coming up to scratch and push at the scent glands just under the corners of his jaw, releasing his scent forcefully despite his suppressants. He leaned forward, stroking her hair in a comforting manner in response to her fearful whine, and pressed his neck up close to hers. From his proximity, she could smell his scent very well and... oh.

He smiled a little as he felt the tension fade from her somewhat, "See? It's okay, I understand."

She looked up at him timidly, her fingers tracing where his scent glands were, drawing a little shiver from him but little else. He took her hand and helped her get to her feet unsteadily, throwing a blanket around her to give her a bit of modesty, "Come on, we need to get you to the clinic. Honey-senpai will stay behind us and make sure no Alphas come near us, okay?" Haruhi nodded a little and refused to let go of his hand, holding onto his entire arm for support as he helped her walk to the clinic, thankful that no one else seemed to be around. This late in the school day, no one was left. Once they were a little down the hallway, Honey moved to follow them.

A few minutes later, Mori entered the room again alone, his gaze sweeping the room as if to ask where the other hosts and Haruhi were. Kyouya sighed, "Let's move into the club room to talk." Her scent was still permeating the room, "Hikaru, open some windows." Hikaru nodded silently and did as he was told, still uneasy from the scent as well as the absence of his brother, which always set him on edge.

When the three remaining hosts entered the room, they saw Tamaki where Mori left him, sitting on one of the couches with his head between his knees. He heard Kyouya come up beside him and muttered, "I'm the worst..."

Kyouya let out a little sigh and sat next to his best friend, adjusting his glasses, "No. If anything, I'm to blame for this. I knew almost from the start what she was." The hosts stared at him a bit, but he pretended to be unfazed and continued, "I didn't know she was in heat, though. I didn't realize until Tamaki was bringing her the towel. The pieces sort of fell into place and..." He didn't need to continue. They all remembered what happened after that. Honey's question of "Where's Tama-chan?" had set off alarm bells in Kyouya's head and the next thing they knew, he was sending everyone home and calling for the hosts to come to the dressing rooms with him as quickly as possible.

Mori came to stand behind them, the same question still on his face, and Kyouya realized he hadn't responded, "Honey-senpai is with Haruhi and Kaoru. I sent Kaoru with Haruhi, considering..." and they knew what he meant, "...and Honey-senpai is following them to make sure no one does anything to them on their way to the clinic." Mori seemed satisfied with the answer. Kyouya half expected him to go meet with Honey, surprised when he sat on the couch across from them instead. At Kyouya's questioning glance, the swordsman muttered, "I can't."

It took him a moment realize what Mori meant, then he was nodding in agreement, "Even you, huh?"

Hikaru piped up behind them as he leaned over the back of the couch by Tamaki's head, "I thought I was going to lose my mind."

The four men were silent, all looking at each other with the same question on their minds. What the hell were they supposed to do now?

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And that's that. First time writing A/B/O dynamics, so I hope it wasn't too weird. Once again, I'm only continuing this on AO3. I'm sorry to anyone that inconveniences but I hope you can enjoy the story anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

So I realized after such a long time that my links to my blog weren't showing correctly on my profile. As such, my directions to go to my AO3 account for the entirety of this fic were made all the harder. I have fixed that, though since FFnet doesn't let you post actual links, they have all those (slash) things to bypass that. I'll try to keep updates and such on my blog, so please follow it if you want to see what I'm up to concerning my stories and updates.

Anyway, as an apology to my FFnet readers, I've decided to post chapter 2 on FFnet as well, despite not having intended to initially. It's mostly safe, though I edited out a sex scene because of FFnet rules and such. Full version is on AO3 though.

 **THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER** _ **ON FFNET**_. It will not be updated _**here**_ , so no need to bother putting it on follow. If you want to continue reading it, it _**IS**_ **GETTING CONTINUED** , but **it's ONLY getting posted to AO3**. Sorry about all the caps and italics, but based on some comments and PMs I've gotten, some people think that I'm not continuing the story at all and obviously didn't read carefully.

On a side note, I got tired of capitalizing the roles. I won't be going back to fix it in chapter 1, but just know that it doesn't mean anything different, I just got tired of doing it.

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The Problem With Alphas

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Kaoru watched over Haruhi, sitting on a chair by the side of her bed as she writhed and clutched at the sheets in discomfort. The nurse had already given her suppressants and some hormonal balance medicines to lessen the effects of her heat, so there was nothing to do but wait for the drugs to kick in. He watched her with an empathetic gaze, running his long fingers through her hair comfortingly. Her head pressed into the pressure a bit, but otherwise she seemed unaffected.

Honey had left once he was sure the nurse had things under control. Now that they were in the nurse's office, there was no threat to protect the two omegas from. Haruhi was dressed in a spare uniform and given the proper medication. Besides, he might make her feel uneasy if she noticed his presence for much longer.

Kaoru sighed with relief when the drugs finally started to take affect, Haruhi's tossing and turning lessening. She was still flushed and shaking, but she seemed to be able to control herself better. He helped her to lay on her back and brushed some hair from her forehead, which had stuck there with the layer of sweat that seemed to cling to her, "Haruhi, is this your first heat?"

She seemed to have a hard time focusing on what he said, but eventually shook her head, "No... second." She knew it wasn't much better and so did he. He'd at least had a few more than her and even he had a hard time dealing with them. That was the problem with a school like this. Just about everyone was either freshly Presented, or were young enough that they had a hard time controlling themselves. It was a wonder that parents didn't home school their kids more during their high school years. It was dangerous, really.

"I don't even remember much from my first one..." she muttered weakly.

Kaoru nodded in agreement, his eyes staring a bit past her, "It's hard to even think, huh?" He'd remembered his first heat, in a manner of speaking, if only because of how much he _didn't_ remember and how terrified he'd been. It was like there had been a fog in his brain, making it hard to hear or see much of anything. Everything was muffled sounds, blurred shapes, and smells that made his nose burn. And an unbearable warmth in his body, like a terrible fever that made you achy and dizzy. But what was worse was that was, no matter how much he tried to force his brain to focus on something, one thing kept dominating his mind. Mate. It was like his ability to think logically was overpowered by a single, overriding desire to find the scent of a strong mate and offer himself. He was thankful his parents had locked him in his room for the bulk of his heat, because he had no clue what he might have done if he'd come to his senses and found himself with some random alpha's child.

It may not have been like that today for Haruhi, as he was sure he'd have been able to tell if it had gone that far, but he felt like a fool for not realizing the signs earlier. She'd looked so warm and dizzy. Half the time it was like she couldn't hear them unless they addressed her directly. Her gaze was often unfocused. She'd also been so skittish around them.

"Why didn't you take suppressants and stuff earlier?"

Haruhi looked away in embarrassment, "I had a lot on my mind and forgot them at home."

He shook his head and sighed, though didn't press it further. It was obvious she was already embarrassed enough as it was. He jolted when his phone let out a short chime in his pocket, pulling out his phone to check the text he just got. It was from Kyouya. _Make sure that Haruhi gets home. Hikaru is going home with Honey-senpai._ He felt relief at the fact that he could keep Haruhi and Hikaru separate, though being apart from his brother was starting to make him feel anxious. At least once he got Haruhi home he could see him again soon.

Haruhi was looking at him curiously, seeming under the weather, but at least well enough that maybe he could move her now. He helped her to sit up while his other hand dialed their driver. Haruhi heard the conversation and gathered that he was going to take her home. Once he was off the phone, she opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger to her lips to silence her, looking at her with a raised eyebrow, "You can't walk. Even with those meds in your system, an omega in heat walking around in the streets is just asking for it. It will just be the two of us, so please."

She seemed to relax when he mentioned it would just be the two of them. She didn't have anything against Hikaru, but she was wary of being around him during this time. Kaoru was right anyway. Running around in the streets like this would be irresponsible and dangerous.

The school was empty by this point, but the nurse still made a point to walk down with them to keep anyone from messing with them. Luckily, they didn't run into anyone on the way down and Haruhi was ushered into the Hitachiin's limo without a fuss.

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Kyouya was used to having control in his life. When that control was taken from him, it made him uneasy and frustrated. Control, thankfully, was something he didn't have to give up often. One such loss of control was when his father essentially told him that there was no way that he, as the third son, could inherit the company, despite being raised in such a way as to prepare him for that very thing. Did he want the company? He wasn't sure, to be honest. However, the fact that it was being denied him, when he felt he could be every bit as good as his brothers, if not better, only served to fuel his rage at the decision. Even now, every move he made in life was calculated, a simple moving of a piece on the chessboard until the ultimate checkmate of him acquiring the company as his own.

The other time in his life he ever lost control had to do with his best friend. Tamaki was a source of frustration for him most days, but early on in their life, he had found him completely unbearable. It was a wonder their friendship progressed as it did. It probably helped that both their family lives were a bit fucked up, though Tamaki definitely won the award for that one.

He wasn't really sure when their relationship had moved on to a sexual component. He was initially opposed. Not because of Tamaki's gender, nor because of any particular dislike for Tamaki as a partner. It didn't even have to do with the fact that they were both alphas and such a thing would be more difficult and dangerous. It was simply that carnal pleasures weren't ever a priority on his list. Sure, he had his alpha urges on occasion, especially during that first year after he Presented, but he was an Ootori and damn if he didn't keep his composure in all things.

That promptly flew out the window when Kyouya hit his first Rut.

He knew it happened annually to an alpha, but it didn't stop him from feeling that, with his amount of self-control, he was above such a thing. It didn't help that he didn't even know when his first one would come. He expected spring, like most. His was in autumn. It had taken so long that he thought that he'd been correct in assuming he was above his own Ruts. That arrogance had proved to be his undoing, as it just made it that much harder to deal with when it took him completely by surprise.

Tamaki had been with him at the time. When he recognized the signs, he whisked Kyouya away to another part of the mansion, one that was a lot more secluded. Not only did he spare Kyouya the shame of being seen in such a state, but Kyouya realized he was also making sure that Kyouya didn't jump someone in his state. Kyouya shuddered to think of what might have happened if one of their servants had stumbled upon him when his Rut had hit.

He wasn't sure what excuse Tamaki used in order to stay at the house, but he was the one that brought Kyouya his meals and made sure he didn't leave the room. Sometimes Tamaki's proximity to the others in his home would lead to him bringing in scents with him, scents that made Kyouya's pupils blow out and nearly had him running from the room to follow his instincts.

Tamaki stopped him.

The boy was usually gentle, but it was times like this that Kyouya was reminded that his best friend was an alpha, too. He was potent, he was physically strong, and his instincts were strong, even if he showed a large level of control most of the time. When the strain of controlling his Rut had become too much for Kyouya, Tamaki made a decision.

He helped him ease the pressure.

Their first time was not only messy, but in retrospect, Kyouya realized it could have gotten one of them killed. It wasn't that alphas never engaged in coitus with one another, but it was a dangerous thing to do so. Both parties were so overcome with the need for control that such a coupling, outside of a pair with a large amount of trust or self-control, could lead to excessive violence or death.

Kyouya being in his Rut made that threat twice as likely. Tamaki had also seemed to resent Kyouya taking top on instinct. He had snarled at him and lashed out at him physically a few times, but otherwise he fought his instincts and let his best friend ride out his Rut, so to speak. He'd willingly given himself over so that Kyouya could regain his control. Kyouya wouldn't admit to the guilt in a hundred years... even though the guilt still struck him occasionally when he thought back to the event.

After that, Tamaki had an easier time talking Kyouya into casual sex. The youngest Ootori had to admit that while he hadn't craved such a thing for the bulk of his life, doing it often led to a good amount of stress release. Occasional moments of losing control in exchange for better control everywhere else in his life. It was a pretty fair trade.

On the subject of fair trade, he wasn't sure if Tamaki was trying to punish him, or had just been exceptionally nice during Kyouya's first Rut, but after that night, Kyouya found to his annoyance that he was never on top again. Granted, it still felt ridiculously good, but it seemed that Tamaki had a much harder time giving up his control of the situation than he thought. With how aggressive Tamaki was in keeping his top position, Kyouya couldn't even begin to imagine how much it had taken his best friend to willingly give himself over to the Ootori that first time. It wasn't like they had feelings for each other, but he couldn't help that such a gesture made his chest clench in a way he wasn't sure was good or bad.

Every time they had sex, Tamaki insisted on being on top. So then, why did he insist on being on bottom this time?

He tried to push the thoughts from his mind, watching Tamaki through half-lidded eyes as the blond gripped the sheets by his head, his hair covering most of his expression from the Ootori's gaze. It was just such an odd turn of events that, despite the pleasure, he couldn't help but wonder what caused this change.

Whatever pleasure Kyouya was getting out of their act quickly became something he wasn't sure was worth the effort, as despite his submissive position, Tamaki seemed content to goad and taunt Kyouya to get rough with him, until his alpha instincts won and the objective seemed to shift from pleasure to punishment. If Tamaki was going to ask for it, he was going to get more than he bargained for.

When it was over, Kyouya let the boy slump to the bed, nudging him aside so he wouldn't land in the puddle of his own mess that was currently staining the bed. He took care of the condom and sat with his back to the headboard, catching his breath before aiming an accusing glare at the blond's back, his voice curt, "Either you want to be in charge or you don't. Don't ask me to be on top and then bark demands at me."

The blond shrugged and turned his head so that he was facing away from Kyouya's direction, muttering, "Sorry."

The dark-haired alpha reached over to the side table and put his glasses back on, sighing as his anger from earlier ebbed, "You're going to be sore after that."

Tamaki let out a weary chuckle, turning his head to face the Ootori with an expression that was partially tired and partially smug, "That was the point."

It clicked in Kyouya's head and he let out a low curse under his breath, "You wanted to be punished." It was more of a statement than a question, but Tamaki answered it with a nod anyway. Kyouya groaned and leaned his head back against the wall behind him, pinching the bridge of his nose in aggravation. What should he say to the blond? It wasn't his fault, but the pack had already told him that in spades and still their leader wouldn't listen. He was taking it really hard, the fact that he had nearly forced himself on Haruhi. He considered himself a gentleman, so forcing himself on a girl in any capacity hurt him in a deep way. Still, it was no excuse for him to taunt Kyouya into pounding the daylights out of his backside. It could have gotten much further out of hand.

Kyouya muttered darkly, "Don't think I'll be lenient on you concerning club duties just because you can't walk. I expect you to perform as usual." His statement earned a soft laugh from the blond, which only served to further Kyouya's ire. He was entirely unrepentant!

Kyouya considered just kicking him out and sending him home now. It would serve him right. Then again, it might cause a scene and he didn't need the mansion talking.

It wasn't at all because he was concerned about his best friend. Not one little bit.

He sighed and slipped out of bed, putting on a pair of pants, "Come. At the very least, take a bath. It should help with the pain." He growled when the blond shook his head in the negative, then stalked over and nearly dragged the blond from the bed, ignoring his indignant yelp, "That's not a request, Tamaki. You smell like sweat and sex." He wrinkled his nose in disgust for emphasis, "Now move."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hikaru stood at the sink for a moment after washing his hands, slumping forward with his body supported by his hands gripping the edge of the sink. What a day! He felt guilty and frustrated, as well as anxious for his brother to get back. He knew Honey and Mori meant well by staying until his twin came back, but he wasn't entirely comfortable talking about the subject of Haruhi just yet and he knew that's where the conversation would go.

This was infuriating, that his usual demeanor was broken apart by what happened. He was Hitachiin Hikaru, for crying out loud! He was a prankster and one half of the renowned devil twins. He wasn't meant to be doubting himself and feeling this guilty over what happened. It wasn't like she was a pack member. She was just an omega who was stupid about her meds and let herself get too close to alphas during her heat. It wasn't his fault at all!

He bit his lip, knowing deep down that it didn't stop him from feeling bad. That he couldn't entirely blame her. A childish part of him just wanted to.

He dried his hands and left the bathroom, heading back to where Mori was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching Honey as he ate a piece of cake at a nearby table. Hikaru almost envied his senpai, who seemed to be completely without worry about the situation.

Hikaru sat beside Mori at the edge of the bed then flopped backward to lay across it, staring up at the ceiling and once again wishing his brother would get home soon.

It was unsure if he was just unaware of the tension, or was trying to break it, but Honey piped up between bites of cake, "Kyou-chan says we're going to be doing a jungle theme later in the week. We're dressing as Balinese royalty!"

Hikaru let on a bit of a grin, glad that this was the direction the conversation took instead of more awkward ones, "Being half-naked always brings in the ladies."

Mori let out a grunt that Hikaru assumed was agreement based on the very, very slight quirk of the corner of his mouth that looked suspiciously like a grin. Hikaru continued on, "But during spring of all times? When there are still cherry blossoms to take advantage of?"

Honey shrugged and smiled so wide it was a wonder he didn't have little sparkles and flowers floating about his head, "I don't mind, as long as I get cake!"

Hikaru and Mori shared a glance and shrugged. Honey was definitely predictable.

Still, Hikaru felt more unease. Not just because of his brother's absence, but also because of the elephant in the room that was still stomping around. All three of them knew the conversation to come, yet none of them wanted to be the one to start it.

Hikaru let out a sigh of relief when the front door opened, likely his brother based on the sounds he could hear. He got up from the bed and nearly bowled his brother over with a hug the moment he entered the bedroom, only letting go when the two of them decided to go sit down.

Finishing his cake, Honey gave Kaoru a cheery smile, though there was concern in his eyes, "So how is Haru-chan?"

And there it was.

Kaoru shrugged, "She's doing better. She forgot her meds at home and was so busy she forgot her heat was coming." A strange grin appeared on his face, like he couldn't decide whether to be amused or slightly disturbed, "Her father is taking care of her now."

The other three weren't sure what to make of his reaction but were somehow too scared to ask.

Hikaru let out a sigh and laid back to look at the ceiling again, "So... what now?"

Surprisingly, it was Mori that spoke next, "She can't stay."

The twins let out overlapping statements of protest that were hard to make out, but the older teen held up a hand to silence them, "She's an omega-"

"I'm an omega, too!" Kaoru cut in.

"-and a female. Things will be both complicated and dangerous for her."

Hikaru frowned, "We can protect her."

Mori raised an eyebrow, but it was Honey who piped up, his voice trying to be calming, "We can protect her from others, but who is going to protect her from us, Hika-chan? Today, both you and Tama-chan almost lost control."

Kaoru looked down at the bed, his fingers drawing patterns in the blankets, "It was our first day. Maybe once everyone gets used to her scent..." He knew he was grasping for straws. He knew more than most how dangerous this situation was for an omega, but he couldn't help the little selfish part of him that wanted another omega there. A comrade of sorts outside of the usual hosts.

Hikaru closed his eyes and crossed his arms behind his head. As much as he wanted Haruhi around, he couldn't help but admit, "...I'm not sure I can get used to that." He couldn't deny that her scent was quite strong. He didn't know if it was her or his inexperience, but he wasn't sure he would soon be forgetting that smell, much less getting used to it.

"Me neither," Mori nodded in agreement.

Honey nodded as well, "Yeah... it's a pretty strong scent."

Kaoru had to agree as well, biting his lip, "Okay, yeah, even I was a bit allured and I'm an omega, too. Still, the school is full of alphas. It's dangerous for her here. At least we know her secret and can help her when things go wrong."

Hikaru sat up, in agreement with his twin, "Yeah, if we add her to the pack, we don't have to worry about anyone else going after her and hurting her."

Honey and Mori stared at this and Hikaru realized maybe he'd been a little too excited. That wasn't really a thing to blurt out.

Honey spoke slowly, "Hika-chan... you want her in the pack? I'm not sure... I mean, it's just..."

Mori shook his head, "Too soon."

The elder Hitachiin frowned, "I don't think so."

Kaoru sighed, wanting to side with his brother, but wanting to think about this logically as well, "Well... let's not bring it up yet. She's probably overwhelmed."

Honey nodded in agreement to this, "Yeah, it's up to Kyou-chan and Tama-chan anyway. We'll figure it out when we talk with them."

Hikaru had a distinct feeling the two heads of the club would vote in favor of making Haruhi quit, but he knew they couldn't make a decision without them regardless. They'd just have to wait and see.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Thanks again for understanding. I'll be in to work tomorrow night. Yup, bye."

Ryouji hung up the phone and sighed, putting it aside as he moved to go check on Haruhi again. She was still squirming in bed, but had thankfully seemed to go to sleep. This was a situation she needed to sleep off anyway. Being awake through it just made her suffer.

He walked over to his daughter's bedside, running a hand gently over her head. He was glad to see, at least, that she'd met another omega in her school and they seemed to be bonding somewhat. The boy had made him uneasy at first, his protectiveness for his daughter wanting to claw to the surface, but the boy seemed genuinely invested in her well-being and didn't seem to have any untoward intentions.

To be honest, Ryouji had been surprised to see her allow anyone to help her. The boy had a strange way of being able to talk her into obeying his directions. In contrast, ever since he'd left, Haruhi had been refusing her father's help, just like always. He respected his daughter's independence, but he couldn't help but be saddened by it as well.

Later that evening, he'd gotten a call from one Ootori Kyouya concerning Haruhi's situation at the school. They'd talked at length and he couldn't help but like the boy. They made an agreement that Ryouji would leave Haruhi in their care and in exchange, Kyouya would keep Ryouji up to date with how Haruhi was doing in school. As far as Ryouji was concerned, it was a win-win situation. He had already been concerned for her when she'd mentioned joining a school that was notorious for it's alpha population. Knowing that she was involved with a group that could protect her through that was a vast relief. Haruhi was also not very fourthcoming with how her days went or how she did at school, so it would be nice to have someone reporting these things to him. Kyouya assured him they could all meet sometime soon for Ryouji to meet the club members and decide for himself if they were acceptable for taking care of his daughter.

He gave her a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room to let her rest in peace. Based on his interactions with Kyouya earlier, he had no doubt she'd at least be in good hands. He hoped it would be more and they could all be friends as well. She'd kept herself mostly isolated and focused on her studies for so long that she needed some human companionship.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the surface, the next day of club went as it always did. Haruhi's father had called her out sick, though the hosts knew the real reason she was absent. It meant that, come club time, it was just the usual hosts. A few guests expressed concerns for the sick host, but otherwise everything went as normal. Tamaki was wooing the ladies, the twins were nearly molesting each other for the guests' amusement, Mori was quiet, Honey was adorable, and Kyouya was behind his clipboard.

You could see the little cracks here and there, though. The slightly flinch from Hikaru as hitting on his omega brother made him think of a certain other omega. The way Tamaki's smile was brittle and had a hard time reaching his eyes half the time, while the rest of the time he was _so_ into his role that Kyouya had the feeling he was overcompensating. Mori's quiet demeanor seemed less like he was the silent guardian of Honey and more like his mind was a mile away, thinking of something else. Honey was the only host besides Kyouya that seemed completely like normal on the outside, though he'd already confided his concerns to Mori earlier.

Kyouya wasn't exactly intact, either. In retrospect, his promise to Ryouji was a bit irresponsible. He was almost certain he could figure this out. A way to have Haruhi pay off her debt in safety, as well as a way to convince the other hosts that it was okay to keep her around. The operative term, though, was almost. He knew more than anyone just how unpredictable the other hosts could be at times. The last thing he needed was a rebellion from the boys insisting to protect the girl from their lesser urges.

He knew it was a danger to keep her there. Some of the hosts were more composed than others, but more importantly, her scent was quite alluring. If he hadn't kept his distance during the dressing room debacle...

No, he needed to keep his mind focused. He sighed and made a few notes, his eyes seeming focused on the activities in the club room, even as his mind ran off on other thoughts.

She had a debt. That much was certain. Having Haruhi work as a guest would increase their maximum workload and in turn, increase revenue. It was the only conceivable way that someone of her income grade could possibly hope to cover what she'd broken.

A smaller part of him admitted there was a very, very slight amount of concern for her status as an omega in their school. You know, for profit purposes. She couldn't make them a profit if the alphas in school were using her as a chew toy. He was most definitely not concerned out of the goodness of his heart. Nope.

While certain members of their group were volatile and recently-Presented, they had an overall decent control of themselves. They were also well-known and respected within the school. Even if her status as an omega somehow got out, it was unlikely that someone would mess with her while she was under their protection.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was also the downside of having to keep a constant eye on Hikaru and Tamaki. There was also the difficulty of keeping her status as both female _and_ an omega from the school at large, especially the guests. Nearly all of the guests were betas and had lesser senses of smell than alphas or omegas, but it wouldn't mean anything if Haruhi got too close anyway or slipped up on her medication again. She was a liability. A huge one.

Let it never be said, however, that Kyouya didn't appreciate the concept of high risk, high return. Sure, she was a liability. However, if they could keep things under wraps and make sure nothing went wrong, they stood to profit immensely from this endeavor. Haruhi would also be safer for it, he supposed.

Still, he couldn't force the decision on them, as much as he wanted to. He would give them time, let them weigh their options, and then talk the dissenters into it anyway. At least they'd all be in agreement when the decision went through.

As the day came to a close, the hosts seemed jumpy. He supposed they expected he was going to call a meeting regarding Haruhi's place. He called them all into a group and sighed, adjusting his glasses, "You all aren't too careful about concealing your feelings. You're lucky the guests didn't seem to notice anything." He held up a hand when Hikaru opened his mouth, sure by his face that the twin had some outrage to vent at his comment, "I know everyone is likely thinking about Haruhi. I'm not making her quit." This brought a few of them up short, as they were almost sure the logical, cold host would immediately want to kick the liability. He had to hold back a smirk at their shock and silence, continuing on, "This isn't a decision to be made lightly. Or without Haruhi. Regardless of what decisions we make, they don't mean much if she makes the decision to quit herself. Take some time to think on this carefully. When Haruhi's... condition... is done and she's back in school, we will have a meeting to discuss her place here." He dismissed them with a wave, retreating to his desk to finish off some paperwork.

The hosts filed out of the room, some of them in a thought-filled daze. Others, like the twins, were bouncing and cheering the fact that she hadn't been outright kicked out yet. Kyouya hoped that the knowledge would at least get them to act a bit less rigid for the following club days.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haruhi hadn't been able to return to school until Friday. She'd made sure to be dosed up with the proper meds this time before leaving for school, much to her father's chagrin. Any other student would have figured that it was worthless to go the _one_ day and stayed home for the weekend. Then again, any other student didn't have their scholarship hanging over their head like a ticking time bomb.

The twins were relieved to see her walk in that morning, Hikaru nearly bouncing in his seat to hear from her. He'd been a little jealous of the fact that Kaoru had been regularly visiting her during her heat. He knew it was unreasonable to expect he could see her, all things considered, but he couldn't help but feel jealous all the same.

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the twins' antics, shooing them off during class so they didn't get in trouble. She's talk to them between classes. She had to ignore three different attempts by them to pass her notes, rolling her eyes at their impatience, though she couldn't help but smile. At least they were concerned. As much as she hated to have anyone worrying about her, it was kind of nice to know they cared.

After their classes ended, the twins nearly knocked her desk over as they lunged toward her. Kaoru held his twin's shoulder just in case, but his worries were mostly unwarranted. She had taken her suppressants recently and her scent was mostly masked to him. What little he _could_ smell wasn't actually so bad. Kaoru had come home the last few days smelling like Haruhi after his visits and while Hikaru couldn't say he was used to her scent just from that, it helped his control when combined with her meds.

"So are you okay now? How was it?"

Haruhi and Kaoru gave him a bemused look before Haruhi stated flatly, "Uncomfortable."

"Oh." Hikaru scratched the back of his head sheepishly when he realized how stupid the question sounded, but then grinned impishly, once again unphased, "So are you coming to the host club today?"

Haruhi's smile faltered somewhat, "Umm... am I even still part of it?"

Kaoru patted her on the back lightly, "Of course you are. I think. Well, at the very least-" "-Kyouya-senpai hasn't kicked you out yet," Hikaru finished for his twin seamlessly, "He wants us all to have a meeting today."

Haruhi's stomach did a flip and she could only nod. She'd been conscious enough yesterday to understand Kaoru's ramblings, including the fact that Kyouya hadn't decided her fate yet. That didn't mean much to her, though, only that they were still deciding. She still owed them money, that was for certain. If she couldn't pay them back as a host, she wasn't entirely sure how she could. What would happen then?

The twins seemed to notice that they had tactlessly trampled on a nerve, but didn't get much of a chance to mend the broken fence before their next teacher came strolling in and shooed them back to their seats. Haruhi gave them what she hoped was a reassuring smile, not wanting them to worry about her, even if they did all the same. They were starting to gather that an "I'm alright" in any form from Haruhi wasn't always 100% sincere.

Hikaru in particular kept giving her glances during class. He hoped that her seeming comfort around him wasn't forced as well. She hadn't flinched too bad away from him. What wariness she showed was probably due to his stance as an alpha and his proximity. Kaoru had told him that she didn't seem to realize how close he'd been to jumping her in the changing room initially, when he'd grabbed her and they fell into the wall. That explained why she wasn't more jumpy around him, he supposed, though a small part of his alpha pride felt a bit wounded that she wasn't at least a _little_ more wary of him. Like he wasn't a threat. It was strange to be thankful and frustrated by it at the same time.

The day rolled by a bit faster than Haruhi would have liked. She stayed in their classroom for lunch, largely to avoid the other members of the host club for the time being. Luckily the twins still liked having her all to themselves, so they didn't bother telling Tamaki or the others where Haruhi was holing herself up, no matter how much Tamaki demanded and whined about it.

The end of the day finally came, though, and Haruhi resigned herself to the fact that she'd have to finally face them. She trudged to the club room with the twins on either side of her like mischievous, hyperactive bodyguards who didn't seem to understand personal space. She was surprised to find the club room empty, save the hosts themselves, who were sitting on couches around one of the coffee tables. She sat across the table from Tamaki and Kyouya, the twins perched at her sides.

Kyouya put his laptop down as she entered the room, speaking when he saw her confused glance about the room, "We canceled club activities for today. It was easier than trying to run activities with your place in them unverified."

She nodded in understanding, having a feeling that she'd somehow be paying for the loss of profit from closing shop today. Kyouya wasn't a charity case.

She waited on pins and needles for someone to say something, _anything,_ about how this was going to play out. The other hosts, barring Kyouya, seemed to be feeling the same, their gazes nervously flicking between the shadow king and the small omega girl who had turned their club into chaos Monday.

Kyouya sighed, seeing that he was going to have to get the ball rolling, and while his gaze was on her, his words were obviously not meant for her, "Shall I assume that you each gave this thought like I asked?"

There were general murmurs of the affirmative to his question, the hosts nodding, though from their expressions, he had a feeling they may not have completely come to any conclusions on what to do. Fantastic.

His eyes flicked between the twins. He could tell by their behavior today that they were already taking the role of guardians for her before a decision was already made. Even if she didn't stay in the club, they would likely continue this roll as her classmates. This was a good thing, he supposed, and he could gather their stance on her staying in the club based on that.

His gaze moved to Honey and Mori. Considering he could still see their king nearly losing his composure out of the corner of his eye, he supposed they were the best place to start. They were also the eldest and probably the most mature.

"Honey-senpai, what is your take on this?"

Honey, who was sitting on the side couch in Mori's lap, hugged Usa-chan closer to himself as he looked like he was thinking of how to say what he wanted to say, "Well..." He gave one of his beaming smiles, one that made Haruhi feel a little less tense, "Takashi and I like Haruhi, right Takashi?" Mori gave a grunt and a nod. Honey's smile slipped into a more natural one, "We want her to stay, but... Well, it's dangerous. I don't think we should throw Haruhi out," his eyes moved to the twins, "But I don't think we should blindly insist she join either without acknowledging the danger this would present to her."

Haruhi was too stunned to really respond to this. Honey seemed so young, both in appearance and his behavior during club activities. Hearing him talk like this proved to her that she didn't really give him enough credit as far as his age and maturity went. She was also happy that unlike the twins, who really seemed to want her to stay no matter what, Honey and Mori seemed genuinely concerned about how this might affect her.

She tuned back in to realize the twins were giving a laundry list of reasons why they wanted her to stay, with Kyouya pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance at the noise volume and Honey shaking his head in exasperation as the twins basically did exactly what he didn't want them to do.

"-can protect her from-"

"-a natural rookie, after all-"

"-say no to such a cute face?"

"-guests loved her and profits would-"

" _No._ "

Everyone froze as Tamaki, who had been sitting with his gaze fixed on the table, finally spoke up in a tone that had Haruhi's blood freezing like ice in her veins. It was that same alpha tone he'd used when he had told off Ayanokouji. He was trying to assert himself to the group, something they seemed equal parts wary and surprised at.

Kyouya had been afraid of Tamaki's stance on this, but he didn't think Tamaki would try to assert his stance so early into the meeting. This was going to throw his plans off if he let it continue. He adjusted his glasses and tried a diplomatic tone, "Tamaki, I think-"

Tamaki cut him off with a wave of his hand, violet eyes snapping to cold black ones, "No, Kyouya." The air between the two alphas became at once tense and the other hosts grew apprehensive, particularly Haruhi, who sank back into her seat a little. "As much as I know you'd prefer control over this situation, we're not dancing to your script you've cooked up in your head. This is entirely too dangerous for Haruhi. You know it as well as I do. This is about more than your profits. If you need more income, I'll take enough clients to make up for her absence."

Kyouya glared daggers at Tamaki. Even if he _had_ sort of had a script rehearsed in his head for this ordeal, he didn't much like Tamaki's tone on it or the fact that he'd interfered with it, "You're being absurd. You can't take that many clients. Haruhi owes a debt and given her status as a commoner, there are few other ways she can pay it back."

Tamaki nearly growled at him, standing up and leering down at the Ootori, "If it's that important, I'll pay the eight million yen. I can afford it. You can, too. Anyone here could, for that matter."

The darker-haired second year stood up, too, teeth bared, "It's not a matter of the money, it's the princip-"

Tamaki stepped forward, looking ready to hit Kyouya, "It's always the money, though, isn't it Kyouya?"

" _ENOUGH!_ "

As much as Tamaki's outburst had frightened and confused the group, Honey's outburst had twice the effect. Other than Mori and Haruhi, everyone was staring in surprise at Honey, who was now standing on the couch beside his cousin. The shine in his eyes was practically gone, his pupils nothing but pinpricks. His lips quivered with the effort it took not to bare his teeth. As much as Tamaki and Kyouya were trying to subtly assert their dominance day-to-day, neither of them would ever have the nerve to challenge Honey in a contest of authority if he really meant it. The martial arts prodigy would make them regret it. And right then, he looked supremely angry.

His eyes drifted shut and after a moment, the anger had passed. He was solemn, but he was no longer angry. The tension in the room ebbed somewhat as he sat down again, "Maybe you should ask Haru-chan how she feels. You guys are in charge, but she has a say in this, too. Isn't that why we waited until she was here to have a meeting?"

All eyes turned to Haruhi. Over the course of the argument between Kyouya and Tamaki, she'd grown apprehensive at the escalating argument between the alphas, but that feeling was nothing compared to the frustration that was welling up. She could understand that Tamaki's words were coming out of concern for her, she really did. She also understood that she was probably nothing more than a number to Kyouya. Still, the fact that they were nearly at each other's throats about a decision they hadn't even run by her yet was making her see red. How dare they?

Honey's outburst had frightened her a bit, but she was supremely glad for someone actually giving a damn what she wanted. She took the opportunity he gave her and spoke up, "Look, I'm not usually as irresponsible as I was Monday. I had a lot of things on my mind. New home, new school and so forth. It won't happen again." She took a deep breath and continued, looking to Kyouya, as she knew Tamaki wouldn't agree with her, "I would like to stay and pay my debt. You're right, it's the principle of the thing. Even if you _could_ pay for it, the fact is that _I_ broke it. It's _my_ fault. I have no other way than this to pay you back. If you decide to kick me out, I'll comply." She held up a hand and waved down the protests that started to spill from the twins at her mentioning leaving, "However, if you'll have me, I'll work hard to pay you back and I'll be careful from now on to keep my identity in check and my meds on hand."

Kyouya saw the frustration building in Tamaki in his stance, but was relieved to hear Haruhi's stance on it. This is what he'd been hoping for. He only hoped that the wants of the club and Haruhi herself would be enough to make Tamaki at least accept the decision. He was, after all, the head of the club. The final word _did_ actually sit with him, as much as Kyouya was loath to admit it.

Haruhi saw that Tamaki still looked ready for a fight, trying to keep her voice soothing, "Look, I know there are dangers. I'm not naive, Tamaki-senpai."

"Aren't you?" Tamaki interrupted sharply.

She ignored his outburst and continued, "I'm in no more danger here than I am in this school in general. In some ways I'm in more danger here, in some ways less. But it evens out. Just let me stay and pay off my debt."

Tamaki let out a growl, but having no better argument he hadn't already stated against her words, he could only pace angrily.

Hikaru spoke up, more subdued than his early outbursts given the tense situation, "Kaoru and I can protect her during class, but we can't do a thing if someone decides to 'pick on the commoner' on her way home from school. She'd be safer with us. At least we know her secret and we can help cover for her."

Kaoru nodded in agreement with his twin. There were things he could add, but he figured they went without stating. He was surprised at himself for not thinking of that angle sooner, but as he thought about it, his expression darkened with possibilities. If someone _did_ pick on her as she was walking home, then what? Worse if they found out she was an omega. At best, she would be picked on and bullied. But Kaoru knew how some of the kids here thought. There were a lot of alphas, which meant you also got the kind who believed 100% in alpha dominance. The horrible kinds of alphas who believed omegas were breeding fodder or worse. He clenched his teeth to keep his anger in check. The last thing she needed was to be passed around a bunch of savage alphas and possibly killed.

Honey spoke up, his voice taking the same pacifying tone everyone seemed to be taking with Tamaki, "We can come up with protective measures to make sure no one hurts her. It won't be hard. I think the club is more fun with Haru-chan here." He gave a smile at Haruhi and made Usa-chan wave at her, "Usa-chan likes her, too." He looked up at Mori, "Takashi, too." He nodded in agreement with his small cousin, giving Haruhi a look that almost counted as a smile.

Tamaki could see that he was outnumbered and it frustrated him to no end. Did they not care about the dangers he presented to her? He almost... in the dressing room, he... He clenched his teeth and stopped his pacing. Damn... he was making this decision based on one incident that had happened with him. As far as Tamaki knew, no one else had almost assaulted her. Maybe he was the only danger? No, that wasn't true, he knew Hikaru had a hard time of it as well. Most of them had admitted to having a hard time with her smell, actually. Yet she smelled okay today, he supposed. He didn't feel the need to leap on her the moment she walked in the room, which was progress. Progress and medicine, but still.

He sighed. They really did seem to want her to stay. He had to admit that, until the issue arose, he was having fun with her, too. She'd been like the family member he'd never realized they needed. The fact that she was female and an omega didn't change that aspect of it. Wasn't that the entire reason he created this club? Weren't they a family?

He kept his back to them as he composed himself and sifted through his thoughts, his voice even, "Are you sure that's what you really want, Haruhi?"

She looked wary, unsure of how he would react, but spoke determinedly, "Yes, I'm sure. To be honest, it sounds fun. Being a host." She wondered if she'd said the wrong thing as she saw his shoulders shake, then let out a very unladylike squawk as he suddenly picked her up and spun her around, "Daddy is so happy you feel that way!"

Everyone stared at him with one overriding thought.

 _Idiot._

Everyone but Haruhi, who was squirming to get out of her senpai's grasp, "Ack, senpai, put me down! Tamaki-senpaaaai!"

Kyouya shook his head at the simpleton they called their king, letting out a drawn-out sigh, "So I guess this makes it official. Haruhi, welcome to the host club."

"I don't need two fathers! Now put me down!"

"Ouch! Mommy, Haruhi hit me!"

"Yay! Haruhi is-" "-a host forever!"

"This calls for cake! Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

Kyouya pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.


End file.
